


Dust In The Wind

by Pipamonium



Category: Original Work
Genre: Assisted Suicide, Gen, Song Inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 05:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2761778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pipamonium/pseuds/Pipamonium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last sunrise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dust In The Wind

**Author's Note:**

> “Dust in the wind - all we are is dust in the wind - same old song - nothing last forever but the earth and sky - all we do - crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.”  
>  \- Dust In The Wind by Kansas
> 
> cross posted from FP.com

James laughed and giggled like the ten year-old little boy he was as he chased crickets about the tall grass of the meadow. His arms were stretched out wide and his hair was tussled by the light breeze that seemed to want nothing more than to play with the boy in the moonlight. Frogs croaked in the nearby pond and mice squeaked as they scampered about on the ground. It was a little boy’s paradise.

Elisa hobbled over to a rock that she could perch on. Her old arthritic joints protesting the excessive exercise she was inflicting on her battered body. Today was her ninety-seventh birthday. It was a miracle she was still alive, the cancer ravishing her lungs should have killed her years ago but she stubbornly hung on - for the boy.

Elisa’s eyes twinkled with laughter as James frolicked, she gave a wheezy laugh which quickly turned into a series of choked coughs when James fell over his own two feet. Her eyes watered but before she could wipe the moister away she felt small, soft fingers against her face carefully brushing her pain away. She smiled at James when she could see - she looked into his eyes which seemed too old for a child his age.

His voice bespoke of years beyond him when he asked after her health. Her own voice was once smooth and lovely to listen to - now it was hoarse and gravely as she assured him that she was ok and that he should enjoy the coolness of the night.

James leaned up and kissed her on the nose before carefully reaching about her for a hug. He could practically feel her life force draining as she struggled to return his embrace. He smiled sadly at her as he pulled away. “You know it doesn’t have to be this way,” he trailed off - it was not the first time he had said this and he knew her answer but he just had to try. “Yes,” she replied patiently, “yes, James, it does.”

James sighed, even though he knew she would say that and had prepared this night for her he still could not help but hold out that she would change her mind. He opened his mouth to try again but a single shake of her head and a shaking finger to his lips reminded him that he had lost long ago. He had been trying to convince her for decades but she had never wavered in her belief.

Now time had run out and James found that he was not as scared as he thought he would be. It had been a long time in the coming but he could feel in his very bones that it was right. He felt rather than saw the skyline lightening. A single tear rolled down his face, the first in as long as he could remember, as he refused to look towards the coming day. His body shook in fear but he would not leave her alone - he would not allow her to leave HIM alone. He felt his resolve solidify - he would give her what she wanted because she had given him so much. So much more than he deserved.

Elisa watched as the sky changed and she pursed her lips in worry. What if this did not work out as planned? It had been so simple - so … romantic. She had blinded herself to what could happen in her desire to see what she WANTED to happen. She was snapped back to the present by James’s snapping fingers. He laughed at her before going to back to his playing. He laughed over his shoulder that he thought she wanted to be aware for this all. She swatted for his head as best she could, he easily dodged.

He continued to play and she continued to watch as the sky lighted further, the stars twinkling out for the night. His skin prickled and he could feel a cold sweat breaking out all over his body but he pretended as was well in his world. James stared making engine noises as he rose to his feet and danced about the stone - a small wooden airplane in hand. One eye watching out for himself and one eye on Elisa, fading in time with the night.

Elisa tracked his movements with eyes that were becoming heavy. Her hands laid peacefully in her lap as her head dropped - neck muscles refusing to hold the weight up. The tight band around her chest eased and she could feel sweet air rushing in and out easier than she could ever remember. Colors started painting themselves across the meadow, she worried for James.

A hand clasped her shoulder and a pained voice entered her ear, asking if she was ready - if she was sure. It took a lot of energy but she got across that she was. The hand on her shoulder moved to her face - the voice in her ear told her that he loved her and continued to tell her as the hand covered her mouth and nose. It was taking her too long to die. She did not fight the boy but relaxed back into him, allowing herself to suffocate. The last thing she did was turn her eyes on him. She wanted him to be the last thing she saw as well as felt and heard. She saw tears racing down his face and wanted to brush them away but it was too late.

Her eyes became glassy and James let go - laying her back comfortably as if she had lain down herself. He sniffled and rubbed his sleeve angrily across his face to rid himself of all tears. He was going to face this with his dignity intact and that was final. Taking a final deep breath James turned to embrace the day.

Some hours later an ambulance was called. Paramedics rushed to the scene to find a little old lady dead but with a smile on her lips. She appeared to have died peacefully of natural causes. A small wooden plane was found beside her, a child toy. On the underside of the wings a message was written in a crude hand. _‘Twins. Live together. Love together. Die together.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Written 10 years ago.


End file.
